If spirituality means seeking ['Self'-Realization], why do I need a Guru?' Let's say, all that you're seeking is to go to Kedarnath right now. Somebody is driving; the roads are laid out. If you came alone and there were no proper directions, definitely you would have wished, "I wish there was a map to tell me how to get there." On one level, a Guru is just a map. He's a live map. If you can read the map, you know the way, you can go. A Guru can also be your bus driver. You sit here and doze and he will take you to Kedarnath; but to sit in this bus and doze off, or to sit in this bus joyfully, you need to trust the bus driver. If every moment, with every curve in this road, you go on thinking, "Will this man kill me? Will this man go off the road? What intention does he have for my life?" then you will only go mad sitting here. We're talking about trust, not because a Guru needs your trust, it's just that if there's no trust you will drive yourself mad.This is not just for sitting on a bus or going on a spiritual journey. To live on this planet, you need trust. Right now, you trust unconsciously. You're sitting on this bus, which is just a bundle of nuts and bolts and pieces of metal. Look at the way you're going through the mountains. Unknowingly, you trust this vehicle so much. Isn't it so? You have placed your life in the hands of this mechanical mess, which is just nuts and bolts, rubbers and wires, this and that. You have placed your life in it, but you trust the bus consciously. The same trust, if it arises consciously, would do miracles to you. When we say trust, we're not talking about anything new to life. To be here, to take every breath in and out, you need trust, isn't it? Your trust is unconscious. I am only asking you to bring a little consciousness to your trust. It's not something new. Life is trust, otherwise nobody can exist here.
“We aren't looking at why one guy got $200,000 and another guy got $300,000. We want to understand how audit partners are compensated, what the incentive is that drives their behavior, and whether they are being given incentives on the quality of the work they do, rather than just on, for example, the amount of new business they bring in. We want to figure out how to build this into a standard where compensation becomes an important factor in motivating audit partners to do the right thing.”
“June will mark the 25th anniversary of HIV in this country. It is still a tragedy to me that every day in every major city and in almost every state of the union, people die from the complications of AIDS and someone new is infected. However, the AIDS Action Committee has capable leadership, competent, caring staff and a vision for how to tackle this disease in the next decade. It is time for me to get back to my roots and work on the social justice issues that continue to drive this epidemic: poverty, violence, racism and homophobia.”
“The combined efforts of our two teams of professionals will bring our procurement capabilities to a new level of performance. Our company has made good strides in identifying opportunities for savings and putting a platform in place to enable improved focus and line-of-sight alignment as well as to drive compliance through effective purchasing. ICG Commerce provides the category, process and operational expertise we need to make sure the savings are realized and continuously improved upon and the platform is fully utilized.”
“Loan growth and strong net-interest margins continue to be the engines that drive our profitability. With fairly low cost of funds and a net-interest margin that grew to over 6 percent at the end of the quarter, our spreads are yielding very healthy returns to our bottom line. Even with the steady climb in short-term interest rates by the Federal Reserve Bank over the last 18 months, our loan pipeline remains very strong with over $100 million in pending applications.”
“The parade of winners is kind of our club's trademark. When we held our shows out on the [Jefferson County] fairgrounds, the winners would drive through the show arena, and people liked it, so when we moved the show to the square a few years ago, we kept up the tradition. It takes a little longer than just calling a person's name and handing him a trophy, but people like it because they can see the winners right there in front of them.”
“We were expecting this to be a wet weekend, and the weather forecast is still bad so it's likely to be a tough weekend because we haven't done much wet testing this year. Spa is the best circuit in the world, and the most fun to drive, but the intensity of the rain can vary hugely so that can have a big impact on circuit conditions. Still, it will be the same for everyone. Last year I took pole in the wet here so we'll be hoping for a positive result.”
“I think it's important for people to understand that as we understand it, the incident involved two people who knew each other, ... It was not a random drive by. Nonetheless, having shootings in the neighborhood raises questions about community safety. Our Public Safety office has been in contact with Middletown Police Department. Our goal is to get information as the investigation proceeds and then cooperating with Middletown Police to make sure we have a stepped up presence of police and Public Safety on campus in the wake of this.”
“As with the 2005 session, the lingering impact of last year's hurricane season is again the driving force behind the property-casualty legislative agenda in Florida. Legislative leaders hope to address two key issues: How to attract additional insurance capital into the state to meet the demands of a growing population, and how to improve the operations of and, hopefully, reduce the size of, the residual market (Citizens Property Insurance Corporation). AIA believes draft legislation to be considered by the House Insurance Committee is positive for insurers, with one major exception.”
“I grew up on a farm so I thought driving a fire truck would be like handling a grain truck. But the first time I was behind the wheel of a fire truck, I was awestruck by the responsibility. Sure you can run a stoplight, but you have to make sure the intersection is clear before you do. That's when I realized each level you reach in the fire department brings on new responsibility. And there are more people under your wing.”